


Enter The Merchant with a Heart of Gold

by Kikaromi



Series: Detective Rolando [2]
Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Detective/Thief AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26816287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kikaromi/pseuds/Kikaromi
Summary: Now branded high-profile criminals by Spirius for stealing the Seafall Phantom's Eye, Leia, Elize, and Ludger try to lay low and think out their next move. Outsider-looking-in Alvin's first try to get in the loop is cut short, but the power of worrying doesn't stop with just one phone call.
Relationships: Alvin & Leia Rolando
Series: Detective Rolando [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005669
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Enter The Merchant with a Heart of Gold

Ludger, Leia, and Elize's newly branded band of criminals was obscenely lucky Spirius nor the government sent watches to the Highroads yet; the arrest warrants were publicized not long after they arrived back to Trigleph. Staying in the city wasn’t an option, so their best means of avoiding capture was sneaking onto Alest Highroad and laying low in Duval. The worst adversity they faced on the road were a few easily dispatched monsters. They checked into a random inn who either didn’t know or didn’t care about the news and finally got a chance to lie down after a chaotic morning. 

“I’m exhausted... Ludger, rub my shoulders....” A passed-out(?) Teepo muttered once he flopped down on a bed. 

“I would, but... what part of you _is_ your shoulder?” Ludger asked the non-intuitively shaped doll. 

Ludger’d made the mistake of assuming Teepo’s body parts when they first met, thinking Teepo’s ears were supposed to be horns. He got a dejected sigh from Elize and complaints of not recognizing his natural cuteness from the source as punishment. Lesson learned, wouldn’t make that mistake twice. 

“He doesn’t have any. The only cure for a tired Teepo is a good head pat!” Elize plopped the semi-limp Teepo onto Ludger’s lap while placing his hand on Teepo’s head. “Come on, give him a pat!” 

Ludger’s confusion left him frozen stiff until he processed what he’d been tasked to do, but his mind caught up and gently pat Teepo’s head a few times. He must’ve acted correctly as Teepo began muttering this being the perks of having pals or something to that effect. Though he was glad to help, he couldn’t help feeling a little sheepish by the way Leia was quietly watching this whole exchange happen. 

Something save him from combusting into blushing flames, please. 

_**Riiing!** _Good, _literally anything else_ to focus on. Leia reached into her back pocket and flipped open her GHS to check the caller ID. “It’s Alvin.” _Probably calling back after Leia abruptly hung up on him at my advice_ , Ludger guessed. “Should I let it go to voicemail?”

“No, you can answer it. Law enforcement won’t be able to reach us before we could switch buildings.” People here weren’t above giving law enforcement a hard time whether they were personally involved or not. If Spirius or the government traced the call back to their location, they could easily move to the other side of town before they made significant headway; harassment from the locals was practically guaranteed to anyone in uniform. 

Leia nodded and hit speaker before answering the call, “Hey there, Leia.” Alvin greeted, his voice much calmer than his first call, “Sorry I freaked out when I called you earlier.” 

“Don’t worry about it! I knew you were just worried. Trouble has a way of finding me in Elympios.” Leia’s joke got a laugh out of herself. 

“I think it’s the other way around-- you can’t help butting into the first sign of danger you see.” And then it was Alvin’s turn to laugh with an accurate assertion, “So, how are things with the paper been going?” 

“Oh, funny story about that!” Leia practically leaped at the chance to share her fun recent experience, “I was trying to conduct street interviews in Marksburg for my Oscore Train Incident story and I ended up meeting Ludger there! He’s like a Crown Encyclopedia, and he even has replicas of Crown’s popular infiltration tools! Being able to shoot a grappling gun and zip to the top of a cliff in seconds is so awesome!” 

“Sounds like a thrill ride.” A pause. “Is Ludger with you now?” 

“He is! I’ve already got my GHS on speaker, so you can talk to him yourself!” Wait, what about him--? 

And then within seconds, a GHS was shoved into Ludger’s face with someone he’s never met on the other line. If the line weren’t already on speaker, he’d simply ask not to talk, but sadly that option didn’t exist. And given this was Leia’s friend, he had to make a good first impression. His mind drew a blank what to say for longer than he was comfortable, but he'd force himself to get at least one word out. 

“Um... Hello,” Ludger couldn’t help fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt as he was suddenly thrust into the conversation. “It’s nice to meet a friend of a friend.” And that’s all he could think of. After another ton of dead air, Leia eventually got the hint and returned to pacing around the room. 

“Sorry, I forgot Ludger’s shy around newer people.” The man had been vocal with her from the start, but she’d triggered his one exception: Crown. His idol was the one topic Ludger would give you a novella of daring dos and adoration for no matter if he just bumped into you in a crowd a random afternoon. “So, we’ve talked a lot about me, but have things been good with Yurgen for you?” 

“Work’s going as well as you’d expect. The Elympion business world isn’t kind to upstarts, much less one that wears its Rieze Maxian ties on its sleeve. But a smart businessman doesn’t give up over a little adversity.” 

“That’s the spirit, Alvin!” Elize piped in with a bit of pep talk. 

“Just make sure you’re not growing any grey hairs!” And Teepo as well... if you squinted. 

Alvin made an exaggerated groan so loud, it almost sounded like it was coming from outside their door. “I was expecting encouragement, not a bust on my chops.” He recovered from this confidence blow timely, “But speaking of grey hairs, has Jude called you since this little mix-up? I’d expect him too-- worrying about everyone’s his second job.”

“...Not yet.” Leia’s face soured to the point Ludger wanted to ask about it, but his attention was weirdly drawn to the doorknob. He thought he saw it twist for half a second, and now he couldn’t shrug the feeling of being watched. Was it his imagination or...? “Jude’s always working overtime at Helioborg, though. He probably hasn’t had time to read the news. But when he does, I’m sure he’ll tell me how I’m not careful enough, and--” 

“ _Now_ you’re going to tell me what’s really going on.” Their door flew open, startling Elize and Leia. So that sound he heard a moment ago _did_ come from outside their door-- with that piece of information, Ludger suspected the real reason for Alvin’s call. 

“Well... um....” Leia clearly hadn’t expected Alvin to pursue the topic so strongly he’d used a seemingly innocent phone call to track them down by listening for her voice on the other side. Elize, too, was speechless. As the one who got both of them involved, it seemed wrong not to explain the situation he created personally. 

“We’re gathering the Waymarkers to summon the Land of Canaan.” Ludger stated in the same firm tone his brother often used when explaining things to him. 

“The Land of Canaan...? Isn’t that just part of an old legend that’s making new rounds lately?” 

“It is.” 

In his irritation, Alvin stalked over to Ludger and looked him dead in the eyes, “And what exactly does a legend have to do with Spirius marking you three as at-large criminals?”

“Spirius believes in Canaan. They’re desperate to corner anyone they suspect is holding a Waymarker.” 

And they weren’t the first victims of Spirius’ weaponizing of the law-- what was merely an odd decision by Spirius, blaming the Oscore Train Incident on a collaboration between Crown and Exodus, seemed suspect when Crown had stolen Maxwell’s Temporal Blade a few months prior. Real or fake, Spirius was treating the Canaan legend like a high-priority covert operation. Letting them have their way didn’t sit well with Crown, and so it didn’t sit for Ludger either. There had to be more to Canaan and the Waymarkers than what met the eye. 

“So what you’re saying is Spirius is trying to arrest you guys because they believe everything about The Land of Canaan is real and they want you to hand over some ‘Waymarker’ you've got?” Alvin’s exasperated retelling of Ludger’s points showed little promise of understanding, yet Ludger nodded. It was still the truth. “This sounds like a government conspiracy theory to me.” 

“--But it’s true!” Leia physically and metaphorically jumped to his defense, “This ties directly into my investigation of the Oscore Train Incident! Crown orchestrating a train crash full of innocent civilians doesn’t fit at all with his usual M.O., but Spirius blamed him anyway! I’d stake my whole career that Spirius is plotting something, and I think helping Ludger is the best way to get to the bottom of this!” 

Leia’s passion must’ve struck a chord with Alvin, his look of annoyance melting away into a faint smirk. He waved for everybody to continue this conversation sitting on the vacant beds rather than stiffly standing around. Once they relocated, his first words were an apology, “Sorry for getting in your face like that, Ludger.” 

“It’s fine.” Ludger didn’t fault Alvin’s skepticism. From his perspective, some random outlaw had roped two of his friends into committing a crime so heinous, Spirius sent arrest warrants after all three of them. And his answer to Ludger’s motives lay in a legend that could be bogus in the end. Julius would’ve likely confronted the girls the same way if the roles were reversed. 

“Normally I would help you guys with gathering these Waymarkers, but I can’t risk getting Yurgen involved and sinking our partnership.” Before a collective sigh could go off from Leia, Ludger, and Elize, Alvin had an alternative ready to go, “Though what I _can_ do is let a few pieces of my merch slip between the cracks. Call me when you’re in a safe place and I’ll hook you up with a good meal as quickly as I can.” 

“Can’t say no to free food!” Teepo swayed in the air with happiness. 

“We’d appreciate that so much, Alvin!” Leia gave her gratitude too. 

“Sounds like a done deal, then.” Alvin dropped the nonchalance for a bit of serious talk, “This might sound rich coming from me, but you three be careful, okay? If the bigwigs at Spirius are serious about Canaan, they’re not going to stop at siccing the law on you. They might go so far as to send hitmen to kill you for the Waymarker. Watch your backs while you’re on the road.” 

“Now you’re starting to sound like a worrying do-gooder yourself,” Leia teased as she pictured Jude’s similar hypothetical monologue. “Don’t worry Alvin, we’ll be careful.” 

“Good. With that lecture over, let’s get us some grub. Food’s on me tonight, so grab whatever catches your eye. Don’t even bother looking at the price tag.” 

Teepo didn’t need to look at anything to know what he wanted tonight, “Oooh, let’s get some tomatoes! I want another plate of Ludger’s tomato omelets!” 

“We’ll have to check if any stalls have the spices I use first. Nii-san never lets me shop here, so I’m not sure what Duval does or doesn’t sell...” Ludger was eager to find out though. There were always unique ingredients he’d find in one city and not the other; without his brother breathing down his neck to shop somewhere “safer”, such a golden opportunity couldn’t go to waste! 

As Elize and Ludger headed out the door in merry conversation together, Alvin turned to Leia and let loose the joke he’d been holding back, “Does Ludger have an Enable Speech button he forgot to hand me before he walked out?” 

“Just give Ludger time to get used to you. He was even quieter when he first met Driselle and Elize.” At the time, Leia thought Ludger’s silence was nervousness meeting someone of high status in a foreign country. But then Ludger kept looking at her to speak for him at the Seafall Phantom’s Eye exhibit she realized he avoided talking to strangers period. After they conquered the Canaan case, Leia had half a mind to help Ludger work on getting the courage to speak more freely.

The remaining two were just out the door until Leia remembered something, “Before you leave tonight, can I ask you one thing, Alvin?” Just asking this hurt her-- she hated lying to Jude. But something in her had to this time, for his own good. “Please don’t tell Jude what’s going on. He’s shouldering so many responsibilities already, and I don’t want to cause him more trouble.” 

“Sure thing. I’m a professional at keeping secrets from others.” Leia’s face twinged at Alvin’s self-deprecating jab, though she hid it under a trademark smile in a split second. The Alvin in front of her now was making the strides towards an honest life; she wanted to support this transformation every step of the way. “Let’s save the rest of the chitchat until after we eat. I skipped out on dinner chasing you guys down.” 

“Consider it a good thing-- now you’ll _really_ enjoy dinner tonight! Ludger’s cooking is something you never want to pass up!” Both friends finally exited the inn in top spirits. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so to explain this thing's existence, this is a oneshot from a midpoint of an AU I have from my blog on tumblr.  
> I wanted to write out how Alvin first got introduced into this AU (as the main party for this ends up being Detective!Leia, Ludger, Elize, and Julius later on), and what was gonna be a short interaction became much, MUCH longer than that. 
> 
> And since I haven't posted here in ages, thought I'd post this so maybe even without the whole story, lads may enjoy it and it proves I haven't poofed entirely. Trust me guys, I'm alive, just a Rank E at consistency.


End file.
